Oscar Castillo says a teacher in high school inspired him to become a teacher himself.

Omaha South High math teacher Oscar Castillo believes in helping struggling students and being there for those in difficult situations.

Castillo said he really enjoys helping students and is happy to be a teacher at South High.

“I really like helping kids, and at some point I had a teacher in high school that really helped me become the person that I am. I just enjoy helping other kids, and I would say my teacher is a big part of why I became a teacher,” Castillo said.

Castillo said he wants to be seen as someone students can talk with about any situation or who can help any student in general.

“I want to be someone they can come to for help whether it’s in math or in life, or someone they can look up to and hopefully be inspired by because I feel like we need more male role models in the future. I see a lot of lost young boys here in school and in life, and I just want to be that role model,” Castillo said.

Castillo said his greatest accomplishment is graduating high school and college because he is the first in his family to graduate from both.

Castillo said his greatest challenge is being the first in his family to accomplish so much while in a strange environment.

“I was the first in my family to do it all, the first generation Mexican American, and I had to figure everything out, you know, college and how it works, how to pay for it, how the school systems work. Even growing up here in America, it was hard for me to fit in because I went to schools where students did not look like me,” Castillo said.

Besides being a teacher, Castillo said he would have liked to be a nurse or doctor to really help people or to have a job that revolves around math.

Castillo said that in his free time, he enjoys going to the gym, playing the guitar and drums, and that music is a big part of his life.

Throughout his career, he said his students have been doing well in his class but wishes they would pay more attention to the lesson instead of their phones.

“I try to empathize with struggling students, talk with them and see what is going on, and have patience with them. That is the most important thing when you are being a teacher. You have to see how they see it,” Castillo said.